Chapter 19 – Part 5

“Maria, I would love for you to attend my wedding.”

“Oh!”

Mari was surprised, evidently not expecting an invitation.

“You’re really inviting me?”

“Yes. There will also be a reception after the wedding, so you’ll have a wonderful time with other nobles.”

Maria’s dark eyes sparkled with joy, yet she hesitated, glancing at Janice and Bonita, who hadn’t received an invitation.

At that moment, Janice stood up.

‘What is she planning?’

Slowly and hesitantly, Janice approached, clearly not her usual self.

“Congratulations on your wedding, Eliana,” Janice said.

“I-I sincerely apologize for the rude things I’ve done to you.”

Since childhood, Janice had mocked Eliana. She was worried about her and her family’s standing in the empire.

Bonita’s face twisted at Janice’s apology, her expression of pure frustration. She’d gone even further than Janice in her behavior. Janice looked at Bonita, urging her to come over too.

Reluctantly, with the expression of someone forced to do something dreadful, Bonita stood and approached Eliana, releasing a short sigh. She looked like someone forced to face a situation she’d rather avoid.

“Is there something you want to say to me?” Eliana asked, looking coldly at Bonita. The apology for past offenses and congratulations for marrying Calix was the least Eliana expected to hear. She didn’t care to hear insincere words, but having Bonita say them out loud still made a difference.

‘This moment feels like pure agony.’

Bonita thought, her face hardening.

‘Having to congratulate Eliana, whom I always looked down on, as she marries the man I loved—and soon, she’ll be Empress. I can’t even hold back or refuse.’

Bonita gritted her teeth. She knew that Calix had even gone to war for Eliana and that disregarding her now would only bring her more trouble.

“I… apologize. And… congratulations.”

Bonita said the words with great difficulty, looking at Eliana’s face. There was none of the timid, sweet Eliana who used to come to her in hopes of friendship.

Instead, Eliana’s gaze seemed to repay her past treatment tenfold, making Bonita break into a cold sweat under the prolonged silence.

“Thank you. I never imagined that someone who despised me would say such things,” Eliana replied coolly.

“…”

Bonita only watched Eliana, wishing desperately for this moment to end.

“I should get going now,” Eliana said to Mari.

“Yes, I know you’re busy. Do go on, then.”

“Alright. Goodbye.”

Eliana waved with a smile at Maria before saying,

“To the palace.”

Eliana glanced back as she climbed into the carriage bound for the palace. She saw Bonita crying, comforted by two people by her side.

***

The wedding day dawned bright, drawing crowds to the Imperial Palace.

From early morning, Eliana was on edge. She tried not to tremble, but the effort seemed in vain.

“Take a deep breath, slowly.”

Mila demonstrated, helping Eliana regain her calm.

“It’s time to go to the banquet hall.”

An attendant informed her.

When Eliana stepped out, Calix was in the corridor, his face beaming. Seeing him reassured Eliana, and only then did a smile emerge on her face.

‘Having Calix here will definitely help me feel less nervous.’

And indeed, it did.

The high priest was waiting for them at the front. Holding Calix’s hand, Eliana walked up to the priest. In front of all their guests, Eliana and Calix exchanged vows of love.

“I hereby declare Calix Vartica I and Lady Eliana of House Leiberte as husband and wife.”

Thunderous applause erupted from all around.

‘To think we’re now married.’

Eliana and Calix looked at each other simultaneously. His gaze was filled with love for her, and Eliana’s heart mirrored that sentiment.

“This is for you.”

Calix personally placed a crown on Eliana’s head, studded with dozens of precious stones, commemorating the month of her birth.

‘I wore a crown in my past life, too.’

But the crown now was incomparable to what she had worn then.

Calix grasped her hand tightly again. Eliana first looked at their joined hands, then into Calix’s eyes.

Before them lay a new empire and a lifetime of happiness. Hand in hand, they greeted the guests who had come to celebrate.

In the crowd, Eliana spotted Count Leiberte. Usually, he would have been seated in the front row, close to the bride. But Eliana had no intention of offering him that place.

“Congratulations on becoming Empress, Eliana.”

The voice held no joy. The household lay in ruins, Paul was dead, and Matilda faced execution. Their relationship had never fully healed.

“Had I not become Empress, we might never have met again, Father.”

Eliana spoke candidly to the Count, who had visited the palace to see her.

“What… what makes you say that?”

“Father, you only ever regarded me as your daughter when I acted according to your wishes.”

The Count had no rebuttal, so he held his tongue.

“Becoming Empress doesn’t mean I will favor our house. I’ll view it like I did when I left home.”

“…”

“You supported Calix’s side in the war, so I’ll grant you an invitation. But that’s all.”

“I have made many mistakes, Eliana. I couldn’t even resolve the issues with Matilda and Paul, so I have no right to say anything to you. I will accept whatever you decide.”

It was an admission that came too late.

Their bond was beyond repair. Yet, the Count was there, attending to celebrate Eliana.

“Let’s go see the people outside, Calix.”

Calix nodded. They stepped onto the balcony to greet the commoners who couldn’t enter the palace, and a mighty cheer greeted them.

Eliana looked down from the balcony. A countless number of citizens filled the area before the palace.

‘So many are celebrating me…’

A sight she had never imagined. It was like a dream, a happiness she had never anticipated. She waved to them, and they responded in kind. Eliana was now their sole Empress.

***

After ascending the throne, Emperor Calix ordered the execution of numerous criminals in prison. Many were individuals who had profited by siding with the Kynes royal family.

“This can’t be! Why must I die?”

Matilda Leiberte screamed and screamed.

“Eliana, you wretch! Let me go this instant!”

Even in her last moments, Matilda cursed Eliana.

The next to mount the execution platform was Rachel Slonian. Her crime was attempting to poison Eliana with rat poison.

Rachel, bound and shackled, was dragged out of the prison. Once known as one of the most beautiful women in the Empire of Moira, she was now a shadow of her former self. Her once-lustrous pink hair was now disheveled and faded, and her clothing was ragged and torn.

“Oh my, look at her now.”

“If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was a beggar. How pitiful.”

Even the commoners, as well as nobles, were fixated on the disheveled Rachel’s appearance.

The shame of being the subject of their mockery was unbearable, but her overwhelming fear of death surpassed that.

When she was led onto the platform, she caught sight of Calix and Eliana in the front row.

‘The Empress…’

Eliana, now Empress, looked at her with a dignified, stern expression—like a judge.

“This isn’t right,” Rachel murmured, overwhelmed with emotions.

‘Our places should have been reversed.’

It should have been Eliana on the execution platform, and Rachel was receiving adoration while draped in finery. That was the future she had envisioned for herself.

‘It was all within reach… and it’s all Eliana’s fault.’

“Get over here!”

The guard yanked Rachel forward, bringing her closer to the scaffold. Rachel’s legs began to tremble.

“No! Why should I? I’ve done nothing wrong! Spare me!”

“Silence, prisoner!” the executioner commanded coldly, without a trace of pity.

Everyone was watching her, waiting for her death. As the reality of her impending death sank in, Rachel began to plead with Eliana.

“Spare me, Eliana! I don’t want to die! I’m begging you! You were kind… we were precious friends!”

Rachel screamed in terror, making a pitiful display of herself. She struggled in vain.

The executioner placed a thick rope around her neck.

Clink.

Calix, standing beside Eliana, watched Rachel’s execution. He had no regrets, just as he’d felt no remorse in removing Cedric Kynes from the world.

“Have her body sent to the far southern end of the empire and buried where it’ll never be found.”

Calix commanded, denying her even the possibility of remembrance.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Logan replied.

“Let’s go.”

There was no reason to linger before the now-silent scaffold. Calix placed a hand on Eliana’s shoulder, shielding her from lingering shadows as they departed.